When I posted about the most recent incarnation of Celebrity Big Brother starting up here in the UK a few weeks ago, I didn't really have any intentions of watching the current series, despite commenting that it might actually be worth watching for once.

The reason for this was largely down to the rag-tag bunch of has-beens and would-bes that the Endemol producers decided would be our entertainment for this year, and having watched the first few shows, I had to resist the urge to dip my head into a vat of boiling porridge, rather than watch any more.

Now that the World Cup is over, I'm able to get back into some Doctor Who reviews and trying to keep up with the goings-on in the U.K. Big Brother house (more's the pity, in the case of the latter).

I reckon I've enjoyed every Big Brother since the series kicked-off here in the U.K. over seven years ago, but something about the current series has killed it for me. Perhaps it's the quality of the housemates this year, or the constant over-egging by the producers to try and make the show seem twisted and cruel -- perhaps it's because a World Cup has taken precedent for four weeks -- but it's probably just that the format has out-lived its shelf-life and maybe it's time to say goodbye.

This week's eviction from the U.K. Big Brother house took place last night, but it wasn't the result I was expecting, nor the one I wanted.

Following on from a twist in the nominations procedure, Mikey, Imogen, Lisa and Nikki were all facing the public vote as a result of their own rule breaking. As part of the normal nomination process this week, they were required to nominate one of their fellow rule-breakers for nomination in full public view of the other non-rule breaking housemates.

I'm finding it increasingly difficult to watch this year's Big Brother, despite being quite a big fan of the show in previous years. I think it's down to the group of housemates chosen to take part this year; with the exception of Pete, there's very little to like about the bunch of lunatics they've caged up for our so-called enjoyment for a whole 13-weeks.

Probably the worst of this year's bunch was Grace, who spent her entire time in the house maliciously bitching about every single housemate, with the notable exception of herself. Thankfully, she was evicted in the Friday public vote when she went head-to-head with Nikki, following a single nomination each from new housemate Susie.

When Davina McCall announced Grace's eviction live on the show, she stood up and threw a glass of water of Susie, thereby disgracing herself one final time, before stepping out to an exceptionally hostile crowd.

I sat down to watch Sunday's show tonight (which shows events from the previous day in the house) and eventually turned it off due to the repulsive nature of the task Big Brother had set the housemates; a breathing challenge which required each housemate to eat a plate of food and breathe in to a machine which was connected to individual gas-masks.

The other housemates had to then guess what the others had been eating, based on the fumes from their breath.

If you are of a nervous disposition, it might be a good idea to point your browser or RSS reader elsewhere, lest you spoil the latest goings-on in the Big Bother house, namely, who has been evicted by the public at the end of week 2.

I've deliberately held off on updating about Big Brother 7 over the weekend, partly because some of our readers felt we were giving too much away about the various goings-on in the house, but also because not much of any interest happened -- apart from a bit of minor bickering and a food task that didn't quite work out for the incarcerated housemates.

However, if you're of an easily-spoiled disposition, you might want to cover your eyes and ears now, then run around your house shouting "la-la-la-la-la I'm not list-en-ing!".

Well folks, as reported yesterday on TV Squad, another housemate has now left the Big Brother house in the U.K., after only one week of the new series.

Dawn, the 38-year-old 'exercise scientist' from Birmingham was evicted by Big Brother this morning after breaking one of the fundamental rules of the show -- she entered the house in the first place. Actually, I just made that bit up. She was removed for "communication with the outside world."

A statement released by Channel Four read: "Before all housemates enter the house, Big Brother asks them whether there are any circumstances of a personal nature that they wish to be informed of, whilst in the house. Yesterday, a member of Dawn's family contacted Big Brother with a confidential message, which Dawn had stipulated she wished to be informed of, should the situation arise. This message was delivered to Dawn by Big Brother, in confidence and in good faith, in the Diary Room yesterday. Last night Dawn revealed to the housemates that the message Big Brother delivered contained a pre-arranged code from her sister. As this is a fundamental breach of the rules, Big Brother removed Dawn from the house this afternoon."

This evening brings a few more revelations in the U.K. Big Brother house, as nominations for Friday's eviction show were announced today, following the end of the complex and rather unfair "Big Brotherhood" task, leaving Dawn, Bonnie and Glyn to face the public vote.

However, Dawn is so sick of the way Big Brother is treating the housemates that she is now preparing to leave of her own free will. Part of the recent task involved the housemates being denied their suitcases until they had been inaugurated into the "Big Brotherhood", and since they face eviction on Friday, Dawn, Glynn and Bonnie will now be without their suitcases for the remainder of their stay in the house.

In reference to Shahbaz's decision to leave yesterday, Dawn said that if she went, it would demonstrate that the Big Brother producers "haven't picked the people right."

Presumably, the Big Brother producers know exactly what they're doing (or do they?), but if another housemates leaves voluntarily before eviction night on Friday -- just 8 days after the show started, they will be three housemates down and forced to replace not one, but two self-evictees.

It's only Day 6 in the U.K. Big Brother house, and already we have some controversy to report.

Earlier tonight, Glaswegian contestant Shahbaz decided to leave the house, following almost a week of completely insane behavior from the 38-year-old, during which time he managed to isolate himself from the rest of the group -- despite being immune from eviction this week due to his participation in a "Big Brotherhood" task.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to watch Shahbaz interact with the other housemates over the past few nights, and it was fairly evident from the outset that the producers had made a serious error in placing a contestant with such an overwhelmingly negative personality into the mix. His behavior had become intolerable to the point of potential harm, and the Big Brother producers have decided to let him leave of his own free will.

Added to this we've had the incessantly intolerable moaning from Nikki (the wannabe footballer's wife), who spent one of the early nights in the house crying like a child for Big Brother to give her bottled water, Sezer walking around with oversexed hormones oozing from every pore on his body, and Lea with her unfeasibly large chest (and some recent media revelations of her career in hardcore porn prior to entering the BB house).

The most expensive pantomime in British television
history came to an end on Friday night, and Cinderella finally got to go to the ball, when the previously unknown
'non-celeb' Chantelle Houghton won Celebrity Big Brother by a landslide public
vote.

The final order ran like this: first out was Traci Bingham, then Pete Burns, followed by Samuel
Preston, then Maggot, then Michael Barrymore -- and Chantelle was crowned the winner of Celebrity Big Brother
2006.

You can say what you like about the reality TV format, but Big
Brother stands head and shoulders above the rest in terms of construct; it can really only be described as
car-crash television at its best - and utterly captivating viewing, even at its worst. Who cares if it's mostly
scripted and produced by cynically-minded manipulative TV execs? It's still a great watch, and this year's gang of
paranoid, self-obsessed B-list nutcases gave us 23 days of insanely brilliant television.

No-one will be
able to forget MP George Galloway mimicking a cat, or Pete Burns with a face like he'd been in the Aardman fire, or
Michael Barrymore's obsessive cigarette hoarding, or Dennis Rodman's hyper-libido, or Traci Bingham's preening and
pouting, or Jodie Marsh on the end of incessant bullying.

But most of all, it'll be remembered for making a
mockery of showbusiness by placing a novelty non-celebrity into a group of desperate wannabes and handing her an career
overnight.

Today marked the online premiere of the new U.K. Channel 4
sitcom, The IT Crowd. I'm an IT guy myself, so the curiosity overcame me, and
I had to watch this first episode. In fact, if the premiere episode is any indication of what to expect, I may just
keep on watching it. I just hope they keep providing them online, or I may be out of luck.

It's the second last day of life in the
Celebrity Big Brother house for the remaining six housemates who will all face the public vote to decide the
2006 winner on Friday night.

Former Dead or Alive singer Pete
Burns, disgraced entertainer Michael Barrymore, U.S. actress and model Traci Bingham, The Ordinary Boys frontman Samuel Preston, Goldie-Lookin'
Chain's Maggot -- and, of course, the fake celebrity Chantelle Houghton from Essex -- will all line up and
whittle down to one with a cash prize of £25,000 awaiting the winner.

The odds are stacked 1/5 on in
favour of the young blond promotions girl who will celebrate her 23rd birthday next Thursday, whilst Michael Barrymore
runs in at 28/1, Maggot at 25/1, Preston at 11/1 and Pete Burns a rank outsider at 50/1.

Personally
speaking, I would rather see Preston win, but Chantelle has held her own for over three weeks with a bunch of bitter,
so-called celebs and probably deserves her shot at fame -- not least of all for putting up with Dennis Rodman's
excessive, leery behaviour for the duration.

Who do you want to win this year? Give us your vote in the
comments section below and we'll do a full roundup of the whole series and the final outcome on Saturday.

The Celebrity Big
Brother housemates seem to have calmed down since their outrageous argument from Monday night, but grudges still
remain and suspicions continue to cause friction between the group.

George Galloway in particular has managed
to single himself out for villain status, with Chantelle, Preston and Michael Barrymore all on the receiving end of his
eloquent barb, but Pete Burns didn't escape the criticism for going a bit too far in making life difficult for
Chantelle and Preston during the complicated banking task.

The result of the tensions has been a split down
the middle of the house, with Dennis Rodman, Pete and George segregating themselves from Chantelle, Maggot, Preston and
Michael. All the while Traci Bingham floats around in a bit of a daze.

In other news, rumors are circulating
to suggest that six housemates will make it through to the final night on Friday, with no evictions on Thursday night.

With only four days
remaining in the U.K. Celebrity Big Brother house, relations are showing the worst possible signs of strains,
particularly in the wake of the recent banking task, which seems to have been entirely designed to cause the highest
possible amount of friction between the housemates.

Chantelle and Samuel Preston did their best to disguise
the nature of their not-so-secret banking task from their all-too-aware fellow housemates, despite the repeated
grillings from a malicious Pete Burns.

The other half of the group group finally managed to deliberately
fail all of the allocated tasks as instructed by Big Brother, with Chantelle and Preston completely unaware they were
being monitored by their fellow-housemates as they luxuriated themselves in a private members' club.

However, shortly afterwards, the group were gathered at the dining table to be informed that everyone had actually
passed the task, which didn't stop George Galloway and Michael Barrymore going at each other over trivial stuff like
cooking and cigars.